Effect of plasticizer on the fabrication and properties of alumina ceramic by stereolithography-based additive manufacturing

Dense alumina ceramics were fabricated by stereolithography and a subsequent sintering process. Mechanical properties of additively manufactured alumina parts with the addition of plasticizer were extensively studied, while microstructure characterization and fracture analysis were also performed. It was found that the integrity of green bodies was mainly influenced by the contents of plasticizer, where the density and bending strength were independent of the plasticizer on the condition that no delamination appeared between adjacent layers. The results indicated that when integrate bonding maintained under appropriate addition of plasticizer, the properties of alumina ceramics by the SLA process should be equal to those of conventional processed ceramics.